Our city of openness, diversity and equality

By Bob Harvey |
May 23, 2014
| Updated: May 26, 2014 6:10pm

In 2012, the Greater Houston Partnership reported 28 relocations or expansions in the greater Houston area.

It's a great time to be in Houston. We are one of the nation's leaders in job growth and business expansion. We've enjoyed the shower of numerous accolades highlighting our great quality of life, including the announcement of our city's most recent James Beard Award winner, Chef Chris Shepherd. Quite simply, our region is a great place to live, work and build a business.

I believe part of the reason it's a great place is because we are diverse - diverse in who we are, where we've come from and why we are here. Over my career, as I've worked with people from across the globe who have come to Houston for work, they have often remarked that Houston is an incredibly welcoming place. Many of these folks came here only expecting to stay a short while but ended up never leaving.

As we think about our region and its incredible economic engine, it is important to recognize that attracting highly educated and talented professionals is critically important to area businesses and the continued success of the greater Houston economy. These professionals, particularly Millennials, are looking for an environment that is welcoming, diverse and inclusive - these are all attributes that are important to the next generation of leaders in our city.

As we at the Greater Houston Partnership were having internal conversations about how we can attract and retain talent in Houston, Mayor Annise Parker proposed a comprehensive equal rights ordinance that would prohibit discrimination based on a defined set of protected characteristics. With the support of our board of directors, the partnership has been working with stakeholders throughout the community to develop an ordinance that makes sense for Houston.

Over the course of the past few weeks, people have asked why the business community is involved in this discussion. Foremost, this ordinance directly affects business, so to not play a productive role in the conversation would be to stick our heads in the sand and risk an ill-conceived result.

We entered the discussion with a few premises:

1 First, we believe that all Houstonians should be able to find a job, get a cup of coffee and find a place to live without facing discrimination - these are basic rights that we should all enjoy in a welcoming community.

1 Second, we know that a poorly executed ordinance can undermine good intentions, which is why we focused on making sure that the final version of the ordinance took a smart approach that was not stacked against business or unleashed onerous, expensive regulations with which to comply.

We believe the current proposal is a carefully constructed ordinance that balances the rights of all Houstonians to enjoy all that our city has to offer. It includes common-sense protections for citizens and businesses alike, and it affords proper due process for all involved. It appropriately exempts religious institutions and affiliated organizations, as well as private clubs.

The ordinance does not tell anyone what to think or what to believe, nor does it afford any special privileges; it simply says that in Houston, businesses will not discriminate.

We don't support this ordinance because we believe that Houston has a widespread issue with discrimination. Quite the opposite. We support this ordinance because it reflects the values of openness, diversity and equality that we in the business community - and, I believe, all the people of Houston - hold dear. Our organization works hard to promote Houston as a great destination for building a business and a career. Let us make a public statement of what we already do and who we already are: a welcoming and energetic city that thrives on the diversity of our people. That's good for business and great for Houston.